On-farm storage trend augers well

Andrew Venning, Vennings Machinery, Kadina, SA, with one of the company's range of augers at the Wimmera Machinery Field Days earlier in the month.

ANDREW Venning, of farm machinery manufacturer Vennings, said the shift towards more sophisticated on-farm storage systems meant demand for large-scale grain moving equipment was also on the rise.

Speaking at the Wimmera Machinery Field Days earlier in the month, Mr Venning said there had been solid enquiry for his company’s range of augers.

In particular, he said the high capacity 27.95cm in diameter flight model had attracted a lot of interest.

“Farmers are looking for an auger they can move around easily from silo to silo and that can outload grain and this one fits the bill,” said Mr Venning, based at Kadina on the Yorke Peninsula in South Australia.

He said the machines could vary in length from 10.66 metres to 18.28 metres, with a maximum lift on the 18.28 metre machine of 12.09 metres.

Mr Venning said the large auger could outload cereal grain at a rate of over three tonnes a minute, meaning a B-Double sized truck could be filled in less than 15 minutes.

“It can help cut down on turnaround times significantly,” he said.

Mr Venning said transportability was a key factor in the design of the auger.

“Farmers want to move grain from bags or field bins in the paddock so you need an auger that can easily be moved from the farm storage site up to the back paddock when needed.”

“The third wheel simply comes down when in transport position, there is no need to disconnect drive wheels or brakes and the longer augers have long axles for increased stability when moving them.”

The flexibility mantra is also borne out in the spouting, which can be adjustable to suit different trucks and silos.

Cameras can be fitted in order to minimise the need for climbing the truck or silo to monitor progress.

“The cameras are catching on as an easy way to see if the outlet is in the right spot or to check how full the silo or truck is without having to climb up, which obviously minimises risks,” Mr Venning said.